You might recall the recent mention of The Exploration Company, a European launch company that was attracting attention for its novel "Mission Possible" spacecraft.
Payload reports today that Colorado-based Agile Space Industries will provide the in-space propulsion system for The Exploration Company’s Nyx reusable spacecraft, the companies announced today.
The contract is the result of a rapid development process, in which Agile designed, 3D-printed, assembled, and hotfire-tested the DS250 in just 10 weeks.
“When we asked Agile to develop and prove out a brand-new thruster in three months, and they delivered beautiful performance on the test stand in 10 weeks, we knew we had the right propulsion partner,” TEC CEO Hélène Huby said in a statement.
During the development, Agile Space hotfire-tested its DS250 for more than ~1,100 seconds (18+ minutes). Agile also demonstrated a range of high- and low-thrust modes that will be necessary for the precise maneuvers of in-orbit docking.
A rendering of the The Exploration Company’s Nyx vehicle. Image: The Exploration Company/Agile Space Industries
You'll recall that problems with the thrusters on Starliner is what ruined their mission last June. It sounds like perhaps Boeing should talk with Agile Space. The way the thruster assembly is talked about in the Payload article sounds like a similar approach to Starliner's thruster "Doghouse".
“With a thruster that gets embedded into the vehicle, the biggest challenge is the operation,” [Agile’s chief engineer, Lars] Osborne told Payload. “The robustness in design for an engine is different than, say, optimizing for maximum performance. You are attempting to make something that has very few things that can go wrong with it.”
The Exploration Company is European and the continent is pushing companies like TEC to only use European suppliers. TEC found their match in Colorado.
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